Shoe member for semirimless tension spectacle mountings



SHOE MEMBER FOR SEMIRIMLESS Dem 1949 J. w. A$PENLEITER 2,491,071

TENSION SPECTACLE MOUNTINGS Filed Feb. 27, 1948 V FIG. 6 .l I 5 Bummer EH JOSEPH W. ASPENLEITER (lttorneg Patented Dec. 13., 1949 SHOE MEMBER FOR SEMIRIIWLESS TENSION SPECTACLE MOUNTINGS Joseph W. Aspenieiter, Caledonia, N. Y., assignor to Bausch & Lomb Optical Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 27, 1948, Serial No. 11,736

4 Claims.

This invention relates to ophthalmic mountings and more particularly it has reference to a semi-rimless type of spectacle mounting wherein the lenses are held by arms which engage notches formed in the edges of the lenses.

In one mounting of the type described, a resilient frame member extends laterally from the bridge and rearwardly of and along the nasal, top and temporal portions of the edge of the lens. Flexible arms extending forwardly from the nasal and temporal portions of the frame are located in notches formed in the nasal and temporal edges of the lens and have their ends bent over to engage the front surface of the lens. The resilience of the frame member serves to hold the arms in the notches so that the lens may be inserted or removed by spreading the ends of the frame member which carry the arms.

In the construction which has just been described, the arms bear directly against the walls of the notches formed in the edges of the lenses. In formin the notches in the lenses, minute cracks or fissures may develop adjacent the walls of the notches so that pressure of the arms on these points may cause the lenses to crack or chip. Furthermore, if the notches are not formed with a uniform depth, the arms will not be positioned at uniform distances from the edges of the lenses and hence the frame members will not closely follow the contours of the lenses.

An object of the present invention is to overcome these difficulties in an ophthalmic mounting of the type described. A further object is to provide in a mounting of the type described means for distributing the pressure of the arms against the lens. Another object is to provide in such a mounting a resilient shoe member which is mounted on the arm so as to provide a cushioning means between the arm and the lens. Still another object is to provide a shoe member which may be detachably mounted on the arm of such a mounting so that the pressure of the arm against the lens will be exerted on the wall of the notch and the edge of the lens. A further object is to provide in such a mounting a shoe member which is fixedly secured to the arm and adapted to engage the edge of the lens adjacent the notch whereby the arm will be limited in its movement into the notch.

These and other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts as will hereinafter be more fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front view of a spectacle embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view showing the arm and shoe member located in the notch in the lens.

Fig. 4 is a view showing the shoe member and arm in separated relation.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a blank which is formed to provide the shoe member.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of the shoe member.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a further modification of the shoe member showing it mounted on the arm.

Fig. 8 is a modified form of arm for receiving the shoe member.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view showing another modification of the shoe member and its relation to the arm and notch in the lens.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 1-5 wherein [0 indicates a bridge to which is secured a laterally projecting resilient frame member H which extends along the nasal, top and temporal edges on the rear side of lens [2. Projecting forwardly from the nasal and temporal portions of frame member H are the flexible arms l3 which are positioned within notches I4 formed in the nasal and temporal edges of the lens l2. The usual endpiece l5, for pivotally supporting a temple, is soldered to the temporal portion of frame member H.

The resilient shoe member l6 has a re-entrant portion H which is positioned within the notch I4 between the wall of the notch and the arm l3 as shown in Fig. 3. The shoe member It also has the integral portions l8 and 89 which extend, respectively, above and below the notch I4 and in contact with the edge of the lens I2. The shoe member I6 is mounted on the arm 13 by sliding the former over the free end of the latter so that the end of the arm passes through the slot 20 formed in the shoe member l6.

The shoe member 16 is preferably made from a blank 2| of resilient sheet material of the form shown in Fig. 5 as having a closed slot 22. When the blank is formed along the dotted lines shown in Fig. 5, the shoe member I8 is produced. In the forming operation, the material adjacent the slot 22 is expanded so as to provide the wider slot 20 for receiving the end of the arm l3 as shown in Fig. 4. 1

ner similar to that employed in mounting the shoe member IS. A further modification of the shoe member, shown at 263in.Fig.-.!l,. is. formed of a single fiat strip of resilient material to pro-.- vide a re-entrant portion 2,1,andtheuppenand lower portions 28 for engaging theedg'e of' they lens adjacent the notch. The threat: off the re entrant portion 21 is narrower than the width of the arm l3 so that the shoe member' is-mo'unted on the arm by forcing the member over the ai m as shown in Fig. 7. In order to further facilitate the mounting of the shoe..mem bers .on the. arm, the latter may-bemodifiedas shown in Fig. BQto provide the arm l3 having a reduced neck portion 3 0.for holding the shoe member and preventi'rig its accidental movement along the arm.

A further modificationof the shoe member, shown in Fig. 9, comprises a metal strip 3] which fixedly secured to thearm I 3 at 32 by any suitable means such as welding, soldering or riveting. While" the metal strip {3| may be resilient; it should be stifi enough to limit the movement of the arm [3' intogthe notch 14.; It will be; understood, vofhcourse', that thearm 1-3 is urged into the notch f4 by the resilience of the relatively stiff frame member II. The endportions 33 and 31 as the shoemember 3| will be urged into conta'ct with the' -ed'ge of the lens and soact as a limiting stop to position the arm I3 ata uniform distance from'the edge of thelens; even though some of the notches may be deeper-than others. of theshoe members, exceptthat shown in Fig? 9,-may be detachably mounted on the arm.

I3. This operation-maybereadily performed by the optical technician without the use of. any

special tools. After the shoe member [6 has been slicl in place on the arm l3, thepart may be pressed into-contact with the arm bymeans o'fa plier so that the'shoe member It will be held 1nplace on the arr'r'r by the friction and resilience of the parts; c

As clearly shown-in Fig. 3, the shoe member 16 will'engage the wall of the notch l4 so that-the arm l3 resiliently held'in position. Itwill be understate; of course;'that the arms 13' are secured tothe nasal and temporahparts: of the resilient frame member H so that the arms l3 are held'against' the shoe member by the resil-. ienceof the relatively stiff frame member. Since the'portions--I-8= and I9 engage the edge of the lens II, it will be apparent that the pressure of thearm f3 against the lens-will be distributed s c-that a part of it iscarried by the wall ofthe notch the-lens and part of it is borne by the edge of the lens above and below the notch.

The-shoemember [6' also-serves to positionthe arm l3 within the-notch l4 since the shoe membe!" limits themovement of the arm intothe notch. Accordingly,' the arms are always: posi-- tioned at a uniform distance from the edges of the lenses even though the notches'may be formed" with different depths. Since the arms are secu'r'ed to the resilient frame member I I, the shoel6f will insure the proper lo cationof; the frame memberrelative' to the" edge of the l'ens'.

It will be apparent, therefore, that-the shoe 4 member will afford a resilient connection between the lens and the arm which is urged towards the lens by the resilience of the relatively stiff frame member. In the past, it has been proposed to slip a yieldable, soft plastic tubing over the arm, butsuch a device has, not b een satisfactory. Moreover, theishdemeinb'er embodying my invention also tends" to further reduce lens breakage because part of the pressure of the arm is distributed to the edge of the lens. The use of.-my.shoeg.memb.erjwill, accordingly, greatly facilitatethe assembly of lenses to such a type of mounting and enablethe technician to produce 1 a neat appearing, .efiicient structure.

, Fromthe'foregfoirig it will be apparent that I am able to attain the objects of my invention and provide an improved shoe member for semi-rimlessspectacle mountings of the type wherein the lenses are held by arms which are yieldably held in notches formed in the edgesof the, lenses. Various modifications may obviously benign; withoutdeparting'from' the spirit'offmy invention" as pointed out in the appended claims.

1 In an ophthalmic mounting, the combination of a lens havinga notch formediri its edge, a resilient shoe member having porti'onsextefiding along the edge of the lens above and below the notch, said shoe member also having" a re'ri'itrant portion positionediih the" notch'ai d' in engagement with the wall thereof, a" name-[member, an arm secured to theframe l nemen-said shoe member being mounted on-Qthe arm, said" arm being positioned in thenotch and ih en'- gagement with the re-entran't' portionof the'sho'e' member whereby the armis resiliently supported in the notch.

2. In anophthalmi'c mounting havinga resilient frame member positionedrear'wardly of the edge.- of a lens having a notchand an. arm ex-- tending forwardly. from the frani'e;member;. the combination. of. a resilient shoe member. mounted? onsaid. arm andhaving a. portionzlocated within.

said shoe member also'having-portions extending, respectively, .along; the: edge. of. .the ,lens .abuve andbelowthe notch, said armtbeingupositioned. within the, notch and; urged against the ,shoe: member by the resilienceof the-frame member, whereby the shoe member ,is. heldagainst the wall of thenotchand theedgeof' thelens.

3r I n o halm m unt n av n a... e.-.- silient frame member positioned rearwardly of the edge of a lens; having a notch and an,,ai 'm extending :fOIWa lM from theirame member,. th e ie t ..r i sn t h esmsin sn mounted on said arm and havingha portion. 5-; catedwithin the notch and inlcbnt act with th e wall thereof, saidshoe member. also haying; pore- .el inws efi m qt ee a thelens above andbelow. .t el,notfch, ,said..ai 1 being positioned. within. the, notcH,-.3 1d. urged; against. theushoe member'. by {chef fesilie'niie' if t e; frame member whereby, the shdesmmbf against'the wallo'f thelnotc'h' t e the'ed'ge' q it A therein, said arm'extendmg'ithrough the. opening whereby the shoe member is det'a'ch'ably mountdf onthearmg. In an ophthalmicmounting, the cd'biria tion of a lens having notches forn'ifd 'in its nasal and; temporal edges, a bridge, a resilient framemember secured; to the" bridge and dirt: e'r'itifiiig rearwardly or I and along-the top inlet te'iz'i poral edges of the lensffl'ifible srmeseeu'r'ez' is;

5 i spectively, to the nasal and temporal portions of REFERENCES CITED the frame member and extending forwardly into the respective notches, a resilient shoe member i ffig gg g are of record m the mounted on each arm, each shoe member having p portions engaging the edge of the lens on oppo- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS site sides of the notch, each shoe member also Number Name Date having a re-entrant portion which is located 1538338 Hodny May 19 1925 within the adjacent notch between the arm and 2208103 Patersofi' July 1940 the wall of the notch, the resilience of the frame 2257812 Pomeranz Oct 1941 member urging the arm into contact with the 10 2277118 Leavitt 1942 re'entrant 0f the member- 213521729 Metzger July 4: 1944 2,383,572 Splaine et a1 Aug. 28, 1945 JOSEPH ASPENLEITER- 2,439,357 Bouchard Apr. 16, 1948 

